The Arcanists
The Arcanists are a wing of the Emerald Enclave that is dedicated in the free study of magic on all aspects, except for necromancy. They are an illegal faction, as far as Amnian law goes, they are considered apostate renegades, and are hunted down. They took up to the task of locating and preserving magical items that precede the Spellplague. They praise Mystra above all, followed by Helm. Hierarchy The Arcanists are led by an Archmage, and guided by the Council of Mages, made up of four Magisters (including the Archmage). The Council decides important faction policies, such as its policy on the use of Necromancy and also administers recruitment and tutorship on new renegade members. In addition, gathering halls exist in most cities in Amn, each of which is run by a local Hallmagister. Ranks The Archmage has the final say in everything and he leads the three Magisters. Each Magister in turn, commands his own wing of the faction; the Reavers, the Preservers, and the Eagles. *'The Reavers' are the assault oriented mages. They focus more on the offensive, using the Arcanists supplies to push their destructive nature further and one day be the front-line wizards in a conflict with the Cowled Wizards. *'The Preservers' are the defensive and protective mages. Their task is to work the labs and schooling areas, roam Amn and the surrounding lands in search for lost magic originating prior to Mystra's death, and building up rituals of protection for the battle-ready members of the Enclave. *'The Eagles' are the scouts for the Arcanists. They never rest, they cross Amn spying on the Cowled Wizard and governmental movements, and recruiting new potential renegade apostates. Appearance All Arcanists are obliged to wear non-uniform clothing. They by no means, need to be connected to each other and they avoid much attention. All Arcanists must however, wear an item of emerald; be it a brooch, a ring, a pin or anything whatsoever as long as they recognize each other while outside the Glade's vicinity. History The Arcanists formed 20 years ago (in 1459 DR) by Darius Enverie, the talented student of Storth Typhon. Storth was an important Cowled Wizard before who just had enough of them and the restriction on magic, considering their ideas as hubris towards the memory of Mystra. During a terrible year for him, he detached from the Wizards and was declared an apostate renegade. He was hunted down and on many occasions he was close to losing his life. Typhon managed to keep low finally but refused to leave his country behind. He remained in the countryside, where he eventually befriended and tutored a young orphan; Darius. The young boy was greatly talented and learned quickly. More and more he understood the elements of magic, their inter-weaving and the legacy of the Weave. He understood that the Cowled Wizards were a stain upon the land and chose to stand against them (as his master did before) but with slow, sure steps. The following years were spent in locating renegades across Amn and having them join their cause. They became a secret organization of scholars and mages under Darius' leadeship (and Typhon's support), concentrating a united force that would one day bring down the Athkatlan Wizards. They attracted more people around them; woodmen, warriors, mercenaries, lost souls, scouts, traders - and soon enough they counted hundreds among them. Eventually they joined with the Cirdaen and the three remaining men of the Darkwatch. The Emerald Enclave as this whole unity came to be known (a name picked by Typhon), decided to establish itself a location and that was the far east of Amn, where laws tend to wither. In secret still, they became heroes among the villagers of the east, humans and halflings alike, and these people provided the best protection against the capital's eyes. The Emerald Seat located itself in the Glades of Greenblood, a detached patch of the Silmistan Forest in the East. The woods became a networked center of operations, circling around the village of Arkath. The Enclave started out skirmishes with remote Amnian troops eventually. They rose to be a benevolent force and a just group. Darius grew more and more obsessed with hunting down undead and necromancy, straying a bit from the faction's main goal which was the established order. This hunt led the young man to his death in a battle with a vampire known as Nightmare, on the eastern end of the Cloud Peaks range. The Council of Mages at that point voted for Typhon to take his place and the old man accepted. Typhon changed the orientation of the Arcanists, and the Enclave's for that matter, for he was the leader of both. Mourning his student, he banished necromancy from the Arcaninsts and thus a schism occurred. Even so, Typhon was firm and did not yield or back down on his decision. This caused an upheaval and reaction to some members of the Enclave, claiming that this faction was supposed to be about freedom of the practice. Typhon claimed it was Mystra's will to banish necromancy, seeing Darius' death from the undead as an omen. The Schism officially took place and after a sad and terrible battle within the Glade, several warlocks and wizards fled; those who survived came to name themselves the Covenant of the Horn and turned to devil worshiping. To the day, the two faction still are at each other's throats. The Arcane Council In 1479 DR, the Archmage of the faction is Storth Typhon. He was selected as Archmage two years earlier, in 1477 DR, by a narrow margin, mainly because of his strict stance against necromancy. He implemented new restrictions against necromancy (following a discussion documented in The Black Arts On Trial), which were strongly supported by some members, but also strongly opposed by others. Part of the council resigned in protest. The Arcane Council consists of Archmage Stroth Typhon, Jadefox (representing the Eagles), Earol Raestiphos (representing the Reavers) and Romilus Claidestu (representing the Preservers).